Wilfredo Boscan

The Rangers announced that they’ve signed first baseman/outfielder Kevin Keyes to a minor league deal. The 27-year-old Texas native won’t be invited to Major League camp, however. A former 26th-round pick of the Nationals that has spent the entirety of his career in the Nats organization, Keyes reached Triple-A in both 2015 and in 2016, though last year represented the worst of his pro career. In 375 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A, Keyes slashed just .204/.304/.367. He’s a career .233/.309/.411 hitter in parts of seven minor league campaigns.

Earlier Updates

The Mets have announced the signing of righty Wilfredo Boscan to a minor-league deal that does not include an invite to MLB camp. Boscan, 27, appeared in the majors for the first time last year — he had previously been on an active roster without being handed the ball — though he struggled in limited action. He did, however, managed 169 1/3 innings of 3.14 ERA ball at the Triple-A level, with 5.8 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9. Boscan’s broader track record in the upper minors suggests those results may have been something of an outlier, however; he has allowed more than four earned runs per nine innings over his 467 2/3 lifetime frames at Double-A and Triple-A. In any event, he’ll represent another depth arm for New York to call upon should a need arise this year.

Here are the latest minor moves from around the game, all from Matt Eddy of Baseball America unless otherwise credited. Check out Roster Resource for updated roster information for the teams cited here and every other team in the majors.

The Rays have outrighted Hank Conger to Triple-A Durham, after the catcher was designated for assignment earlier this week. Conger managed just a .194/.265/.306 slash line and three homers over 137 plate appearances for Tampa this season. Perhaps even most ominously, Conger’s struggles worsened after he was optioned to Triple-A in July, as he has managed just a .503 OPS over 116 PA for Durham.

The Rays have selected the contract of veteran southpaw Dana Eveland, the team announced. He’ll take the 40-man roster spot of Tyler Sturdevant, who was DFA’ed earlier today. Eveland has himself been designated for assignment twice this season by the Rays (accepting outright assignments both times), and the lefty has an 8.55 ERA, 8.1 K/9 and 6.8 BB/9 over 20 relief innings out of Tampa Bay’s bullpen this season.

The Blue Jays outrighted third baseman Matt Dominguez to Triple-A, the club announced last week. Dominguez was designated for assignment on September 2. He owns a .269/.315/.421 slash line and 18 homers over 514 PA for Triple-A Buffalo this season, plus he also appeared in five games for the Jays to clock his first big league action since 2014. Once a well-regarded prospect, Dominguez enjoyed a 21-homer season with Houston in 2013 but has hit only .231/.273/.371 in 1369 career PA in the majors.

The Blue Jays released outfielder Quintin Berry. The base-stealing specialist just signed a minor league pact with the Jays on August 31, potentially putting him in line for a reprise of his past role (with the Tigers and Red Sox) as postseason pinch-running depth. Berry appeared in just 31 MLB games in 2013-15 and he hasn’t played in the bigs in 2016, spending much of the year with the Angels’ Triple-A affiliate.

The Braves released right-hander Wilfredo Boscan. The 26-year-old made his Major League debut this season, tossing 15 1/3 innings over six games (one of them a start) for the Pirates and posting a 6.46 ERA. Atlanta claimed Boscan off waivers in August and then outrighted him off the 40-man roster to make room for September call-ups.

The Braves have selected the contract of catcher Blake Lalli from Triple-A, the team announced. Lalli will replace A.J. Pierzynski, who hit the 15-day disabled list earlier today. Lalli, who has 22 big league games under his belt, will be looking for his first taste of MLB action since 2013 when he was a member of the Brewers. He has since played in the Diamondbacks and Braves farm systems.

The Marlins released right-hander Andre Rienzo. The Brazilian hurler posted a 2.85 ERA, 10.1 K/9 and 2.3 K/BB rate over 41 innings split between four levels of the Miami farm system, though 32 1/3 IP came at the Triple-A level. Control was again an issue for Rienzo, as it was during his 140 1/3 career MLB innings with the White Sox and Marlins from 2013-15 when he had a 4.7 BB/9 (not to mention a 1.6 HR/9 that contributed to his 5.90 ERA).

Atlanta claimed Kubitza from the Rangers last month, and he’s played just 17 games in the Braves’ system since then. The 26-year-old, originally a Braves draftee, has played for three organizations since 2011, posting a career .262/366/.420 minor league line. He’s had a disappointing 2016 season at the Triple-A level, with a .215/.319/.341 line over 455 plate appearances while playing primarily third base, first base and outfield.

Like Kubitza, Boscan is a recent waiver claim — the Braves snagged him from the Pirates in August. The 26-year-old made his big-league debut with the Bucs in 2016 but spent most of the season starting at the Triple-A level, with a 4.16 ERA, 5.6 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in 93 innings.

The 25-year-old Younginer spent six years in the Red Sox system before joining the Braves via a minor league deal last offseason. He pitched well in the bullpen at Double-A Mississippi and threw in the mid-90s in his big-league debut this season, but posted poor results in both in the Majors and at Triple-A.

The Braves have claimed right-hander Wilfredo Boscan off waivers from the Pirates, who released the 26-year-old last Thursday. Boscan joinsChaz Roe as the second righty Atlanta has plucked from the waiver wire since Sunday.

After spending parts of nine seasons in the minor leagues with the Rangers, Padres, Red Sox and Pirates, Boscan finally cracked the majors this year in Pittsburgh and tossed 15 1/3 innings in six appearances (one start), yielding 11 earned runs on 15 hits and seven walks. While those numbers are unsightly, Boscan has shown promise in the upper minors, including a 3.07 ERA in 126 Triple-A innings last year. Boscan has been effective in 84 Triple-A frames this year, too, with a 3.75 ERA, 5.5 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9. Overall, he has amassed 58 Triple-A appearances (45 starts) and registered a 3.86 ERA, 5.7 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9.

Boscan, 26, didn’t impress in his first crack at the major league level. But he has shown some promise in the upper minors, including a 3.07 ERA last year at Triple-A. Over his 84 frames in the International League in 2016, Boscan posted a 3.75 ERA with 5.5 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9.

As for Vogelsong, it’s certainly great to see him back in action after he was struck in the face by a pitch in late May. The 39-year-old, who signed with the Bucs for a $2MM guarantee as a free agent, has a 3.74 ERA with 16 strikeouts and ten walks over 21 2/3 innings.

Vogelsong’s tale is well known, but remains remarkable. After struggling for several years with the Giants and then the Bucs, he played for three years in Japan and another in the upper minors before breaking out with San Francisco in 2011. He settled in as a durable innings-eater after two high-quality campaigns, and remains a useful pitcher as he nears his fortieth birthday.

It didn’t take long for Ed Lucas to catch on with another organization after his recent release by the Mariners. The 33-year-old has signed on with the Diamondbacks on a minor league deal, per Matt Eddy of Baseball America (via Twitter). He’ll look to improve upon a .232/.265/.399 slash line over his first 147 Triple-A plate appearances on the year, with hopes of returning to the majors for the first time since his 2013-14 run with the Marlins.

The Pirates announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Wilfredo Boscan from Triple-A Indianapolis, with catching prospect Elias Diaz hitting the 60-day disabled list to make room on the 40-man roster and left-hander Cory Luebke being optioned to Triple-A to clear room on the active roster. Boscan will throw his first pitch as a big leaguer if he takes the hill for the Bucs. The 26-year-old spent last season in the organization as well and was even promoted to the Majors on three occasions but never got into a game before being designated for assignment and outrighted back to Indianapolis. He re-signed on a minor league pact this winter and has had a very strong start to the year, firing 40 innings of 2.48 ERA ball with an outstanding 31-to-4 K/BB ratio in the Triple-A rotation. Luebke had faced 23 batters and allowed 12 of them to reach in what was his first big league action since 2012 due to a pair of Tommy John surgeries. Diaz had elbow surgery earlier this season and will be out until later this summer.

With all the big moves and rumors from the Winter Meetings grabbing the headlines, here are a few lower-tier transactions from around the baseball world…

The Red Sox announced that right-hander Roman Mendez has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A. Mendez was designated for assignment last week to make room for outfielder Chris Young on Boston’s roster. Mendez made three appearances for the Sox after being claimed from the Rangers in September. The righty owns a 94mph fastball and has a 3.09 ERA in 46 2/3 career Major League innings, though that ERA is belied by some very unfavorable peripheral numbers, particularly in his 2014 stint with Texas.

The Mariners signed righty Donn Roach to a minor league contract, the Tacoma News Tribune’s Bob Dutton reports (Twitter link). The deal contains an invitation to the Mariners’ big league Spring Training camp. Roach has a 5.35 ERA in 33 2/3 career innings and appeared in just one MLB game in 2015. Roach, who turns 26 later this week, pitched for three organizations (the Blue Jays, Cubs and Reds) last season.

The Phillies announced that southpaw Joely Rodriguez has been outrighted to Triple-A. Rodriguez, acquired from Pittsburgh in exchange for Antonio Bastardo last winter, posted a 6.12 ERA, 5.1 K/9 and 1.3 K/BB rate over 129 1/3 innings split between Double-A and Triple-A in 2015.

Righty Wilfredo Boscan has accepted his outright assignment with the Pirates’ Triple-A affiliate, as he started for the club tonight. MLBTR’s Zach Links reported yesterday that Boscan had yet to decide whether to elect free agency, but he evidently turned down the chance to hit the open market. The 25-year-old has had a nice season in his first year with the Pittsburgh organization, putting up 94 2/3 innings of 3.33 ERA ball coming into today’s action. (That earned run average is on its way down as we speak: Boscan has thrown five scoreless frames as of publishing this post.)

Here are today’s minor moves, with the newest transactions at the top of the post…

The Pirates have outrighted right-hander Wilfredo Boscan to Triple-A. According to MLB Trade Rumors’ Zach Links (viaTwitter), Boscan can choose to reject this assignment since this is the second time he has been outrighted, and the Bucs are awaiting his decision. Boscan, a nine-year minor league veteran, is still waiting to make his Major League debut despite three stints on Pittsburgh’s roster in 2015. He was designated for assignment last week.

The Phillies selected the contract of left-hander Cesar Jimenez from Triple-A, the team announced. Righty David Buchanan was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move. Jimenez has been designated for assignment and outrighted three times in three seasons by Philadelphia, most recently in April. He has a 2.67 ERA and 20 strikeouts over 33 2/3 IP with the Phillies since 2013, including two-thirds of an inning this season.

The Padres outrighted catcher Tim Federowicz to Triple-A, the team announced. Federowicz was designated for assignment on August 1 following his reinstatement from the 60-day DL. The veteran backstop suffered a meniscus tear during Spring Training and has been limited to just 18 minor league games in 2015.

The Pirates announced that they have designated right-hander Wilfredo Boscan for assignment. The move was necessitated by the fact that the Indians’ waiver claim of Deolis Guerrahad to be rescinded due to inflammation in Guerra’s left knee. As such, Guerra will remain with the Pirates and be placed on the 15-day disabled list. That pushed Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster up to 41, and Boscan will be the odd man out.

Boscan, 25, hasn’t pitched for the Pirates in 2015 and in fact has never thrown a pitch in the big leagues despite being promoted to the Major League roster on three separate occasions this season. He’s tallied 94 2/3 innings a Triple-A this year, working to a 3.33 ERA with 6.0 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9. The Venezuelan hurler was originally signed by the Rangers and has a career 4.04 ERA with 6.7 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9 in 857 1/3 minor league innings.